Predestination Goes Against the Grain
by Aggie
Summary: Aladdin and his friends find Fate smiling upon them.. literally! A dull week in Agrabah is soon to be ‘interrupted’ by Chaos' arrival. The days become even more tense once Chaos and Fate meet... (CHAPTER 3 IS NOW UP!)
1. Prologue

Predestination Goes Against the Grain 

_Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin or any characters from the films/series. This is just a harmless Aladdin fic. _

_The idea of this fic came so suddenly, but I do hope it goes well. I started this fic after going to a huge Aladdin nostalgia. I'm a huge fan of the films and used to watch the series every day until it was cancelled. But now I hear that it's coming back to Family Channel (I'm a Canadian, hehe) so it has given me confidence to write this! My two favourite characters in the series is Iago and Chaos. Because I was disappointed that Chaos was only in one episode, I just had to write a fic with him in it. I have also added a new character that I hope you all enjoy! This is just the prologue so the main plot is yet to come. Oh, and once you finish reading, please leave a review. Thank you!_

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**Prologue**

It was euphoric...

It was exhilarating...

It was.. _boring_, and no word, no matter how fancy and convincing, was going to overpower the dullness of the atmosphere in the Palace.. or for that matter.. all of Agrabah.

Aladdin, sitting on the edge of the balcony, breathed in deeply and let the air out slowly, hoping that the activity was somewhat time-consuming and the sun would eventually go down to end the tedious day. Abu, the young man's cherished monkey, sat on his friend's head, his furry hands dangling in front of Aladdin's face without a care while trying his best to take an early nap. However, it was far too early in the day to succeed in doing so. Many hours would have to pass before the sun would finally make its way under the horizon. Wearily, the monkey sighed.

"Aladdin?" a divine voice came from inside. Aladdin slowly turned his head as he saw his lover, Jasmine, standing near the opening of the balcony with a quite plain look on her face. Despite that, Aladdin did not doubt the fact that she was beautiful no matter what expression she had.

"Yes, Jasmine?" he said back.

"I was looking for you for quite some time now. The Palace seems larger some days and smaller other days... I cannot really explain it..." Jasmine said, walking towards Aladdin. She leaned against the balcony railing right beside him and looked up towards the sky, her eyes squinting as she noticed the scorching sun beaming over Agrabah.

"Don't worry, you're not alone," was all Aladdin could say. It was times like this that he almost wished Abis Mal would sneak in and challenge him to a useless battle, or Mechanicles marching in with another lunatic piece of machinery.. it was just _one of those days_...

"So..." Aladdin continued, trying to bring up a decent conversation. "Oh! The Sultan told me there will be a meteor shower tonight. That might bring some excitement to the day..."

"Oh, so it might..." Jasmine said, the tone of her voice rising slightly as if she were thrilled of the news. "It would be a wonder for the eyes, but I feel as if it's just too quiet around here..."

All of a sudden, a loud squawk came from inside the Palace. The two turned around to see Iago flying around in all directions; he looked like he was being chased by something. A small smile came upon both Aladdin and Jasmine as they raced inside, hoping something adventurous had begun. Abu jumped off Aladdin's head to run past the couple and see what was making Iago act so strangely.

"What's wrong, Iago?" Aladdin and Jasmine said simultaneously while running into the Palace. As they looked closer at the parrot, they tried to make out what was chasing him. However, they could not see anything on his feathery tail. The two looked at each other, confused, while Iago continued to fly around in no particular pattern.

"Who is chasing you, Iago?" Aladdin asked at the top of his lungs. This finally caught the bird's attention as he turned towards the young man and slowed down his flying speed.

"What? Does it _look_ like something is chasing me?" Iago yelled rather furiously, pointing his wings at nothing. Abu quirked an eyebrow in complete puzzlement.

"Well, then, what are you doing?" Jasmine asked, still curious as to what Iago's initial purpose was.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to find something to do rather than sit my butt down on the balcony and stare at the sky for SIX DAYS! It's been _six_ days since we've done _anything_! Now you guys know I'm not one for those freaky adventures we keep, sorry.. _kept_ doing, but the least we can do is play a game.. like a sport or something.."

A gasp came from Aladdin's lamp on the side of his pants. "Sports? I love sports!!" In a instant and a puff of blue smoke, Genie appeared in the scene, causing Abu to screech and scurry behind Aladdin's right foot.

"Gueeeeess who beat Serena Williams in the Wimbleton Tennis Championships?" Genie said, appearing to be in a dark blue tennis uniform holding a large racket. "And now I gotta practice for next year!"

Iago did not even have to think about what he was in for. Unfortunately, his wings were not fast enough for him as Genie grabbed his tail. With one whiff, he threw the bird into the air and whacked him with the hard tennis racket. This caused the parrot to squawk extremely loudly and dart right past Jasmine's head and out the balcony.

"Well, at least that was a bit entertaining.." Aladdin smirked, watching Iago gaining flight control and muttering nasty words obviously directed at Genie. The parrot finally made his way back into the room, feathers flying everywhere.

"Hmm.. maybe I should increase the power on my backhand stroke.." Genie pondered with one finger scratching the top of his head.

Iago lowered his eyes in annoyance while trying to gather his feathers. "You're an idiot."

----

The humorous yet short-lived scene was the highlight of the day, since nothing else could ever top it. In Aladdin's point of view, it was just too quiet. He watched as Genie began playing cards with Carpet while Iago and Abu were having a wooden spoon duel. Jasmine, standing right beside him, looked into his eyes and saw that there was something missing; adventure. It was one of those times when it was so mundane that..

Jasmine gasped and grabbed Aladdin's shoulders tightly, causing the young man's eyes to widen with surprise. "Aladdin!" she exclaimed to him. "We can't let this place get too boring. Remember the time when-"

She did not need to continue. Jasmine already saw that Aladdin understood what she was trying to say. He took her arms of his shoulders and placed them in his hands, caressing them ever so slightly. He did not want the others to know that they were getting worrisome, so he began to whisper, "I know, I know. You mean Chaos, don't know? It's been a long time since we've seen that mischievous cat so I wouldn't worry too much. I'll tell you what. The others seem quite occupied at the moment. How about we take a walk and find something that will keep us busy.. and perhaps.. make the day less tiresome?"

Jasmine smiled as she felt her hands getting warmer by Aladdin's delicate touch. "Alright," she whispered. Hand in hand, they walked out of the main room and into the hallway.

Everything was going smoothly, and Aladdin felt this was the perfect opportunity to attain a kiss from Jasmine. Smoothly, he went closer to Jasmine as they were walking. "Jasmine, have I ever told you that-"

His eyes were initially focused on his lover, but then they were drawn away as he saw a long tail wiggling near the ceiling. He stopped at his tracks, which caused Jasmine to stop as well. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Aladdin did not break eye contact with the tail. He then saw a pair of tall, large ears.. whiskers.. paws.. and a smile, a large smile..

"I-is that.." Aladdin said while stuttering. His first assumption was that it was Chaos. It was a cat, of course.. what else would it be? But then, as he squinted a bit more, he noticed a few differences. Chaos was a blue cat, whereas this one had a purple tone on its body. The waving tail seemed to have a white stripe and the eyes were indigo with thick eyelashes.. so thick it must be a.. female..

"You!" he yelled, pointing his finger towards the creature. Jasmine turned swiftly to where he was pointing, noticing the cat instantly. The cat stared, her smile dropping slightly every second. The feline looked both ways quickly and then stared back at Aladdin and Jasmine. She stood there.. stiff.. for well over a minute until she finally leaped off the ceiling lining. Aladdin and Jasmine watched in awe as they noticed black wings spread widely from the feline, just like Chaos' except his were more of a blue tone.

Looking extremely petrified, the cat flew into the room where Genie, Carpet, Iago and Abu were. Chasing after it, Aladdin shouted, "Genie! Get that flying cat!"

The echo of his voice traveled into the next room where Genie and Carpet were playing blackjack. "Oh come on, Carpet! There are no rules saying that one single card cannot equal twenty-one!" Genie said, holding up an clearly fake blue card that had twenty-one hearts on it. Carpet sat opposite of him at the dealing table, shaking in irritation.

Genie's ears wiggled as he heard Aladdin's voice from the hallway. He gasped, "My Al-senses are tingling! Something is on the loose!"

The feline made its way into the room. Iago, with a spoon up his nose, was the first to notice the flying creature. "Hey!" he pointed. "What un urth is that?"

Genie disappeared and reappeared in front of the cat. He appeared in a cop uniform with a whistle and huge sunglasses. Genie blew the whistle loudly while quickly taking out a badge and presented it in front of her. "Stop, in the name of LAW!" The cat to stop in her tracks and float in the air. On the badge, LAW was written vertically on the badge with a few scribbles written on the side of the letters. The cat stared at the badge with an odd look on her face. Quirking an eyebrow, Genie brought the badge towards him. Scribbled on it was:

**_L_**_ ife's_

**A** bout 

**_W_**_ affles_

Genie grunted, took out a coin, and started scratching the extra scribbled words on the badge. "My police co-workers just _loove_ to make fun of me.."

This was an excellent chance for the flying cat to glide past Genie and head for the balcony. Genie, just noticing this, shouted out, "Hey! You're going 10 kilometers over the speeding limit!"

By then, Carpet had already made his move. Just as the cat was about to make it to the opening of the balcony, he flew at full speed towards the creature. He made it just in front of her, spreading himself out like a net. She had no time to stop as she collided with Carpet. Quickly, he wrapped himself around her, preventing her from moving anymore.

"Good job, Carpet!" Aladdin yelled from below. He and the others met Carpet as he landed safely to the ground, holding the struggling cat inside of him.

"Yeh yeh, great work Carpet," Genie said, still in his police uniform. He then took out what looked like a notepad and began scribbling down something with a large blue pen. "But I'm gonna have to write you a ticket due to the rate you were traveling." Carpet purposely ignored him.

All of them looked at the creature that looked like Chaos. There was a close resemblance of the two felines, but there were differences as well. Up close, she also wore arm and neck collars like Chaos, but they were shining a bright silver colour. The cat finally stopped struggling and let out her first words, "Okay okay, I give. I promise I won't fly off. Now, please let me go; I'm claustrophobic." Her voice sounded young and innocent.

Aladdin took some time to think if he should trust the feline, but he then nodded at Carpet to let her go. She dropped to the ground and stretched her wings and arms. All the others could do was stare in amazement. This cat must have been Chaos' sister.. or perhaps cousin. Before any of them could ask, she spoke again, in a distressed tone.

"I can't believe my invisibility spell wore out.. argh.. at the worst possible time ever," she said while dusting her tail with one paw. She was obviously talking to herself, trying her best not to make herself look so odd amongst the others. This did not go as she planned. She stopped her activity and looked around at the people before her. Putting her head down once more, she sighed deeply, "I don't believe this.." Her ears lowered as she looked more like a helpless kitten found on the street.

"Who are you?" Aladdin asked first. The feline's ears perked up just a bit as she looked at the young boy. Her eyes looked away as her head stayed upwards. "It's.. hard to explain.." she said and nothing more.

Aladdin and Jasmine looked at each other, wondering what to do. Genie continued to scribble on the notepad. Carpet flew over his shoulder and caught him drawing a picture of the female cat. Iago and Abu just stood there, confused as the rest.

"It's alright, let me handle this.." Jasmine whispered in Aladdin's ear. She walked up to the cat and crouched down. The feline stepped back, but allowed the young woman to be near her. "Don't worry, none of us will hurt you. If you don't feel like telling us too much information at the moment, maybe you'd feel more comfortable if you just told us your name?"

The cat looked into Jasmine's warm eyes, just like a newborn child would to it's mother. "Okay.." she said softly. She jumped onto a nearby table and faced herself towards the entire group.

"My name is... Fate..."


	2. Enlightenment

**Predestination Goes Against the Grain **__

_Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin or any characters from the films/series. This is just a harmless Aladdin fic._

_I've gotten quite a few people (on and off ) who read my prologue saying that the dialogue is a bit too formal, and I agree. I usually write in formal despite how the characters truly speak, but that'll change from now on. I'm mostly referring to Iago and Aladdin's language, which has been worked on in this new chapter. I hope it's better. _

_I hope you enjoyed the prologue and a big thanks to those who left a review! Now, before going onto the very first chapter, I will set a few things straight so I won't be getting any questions about them:_

Fate = female? 

_If you listen closely to Chaos speaking in the episode 'When Chaos Comes Calling,' you will hear him mentioning Fate. However, during that time he says, "Besides, he cheats at cards," implementing that Fate is a male. Yes, if there was an Aladdin episode with Fate in it, I'm pretty sure he would've been male. However, I decided to make Fate a female, just because. Please don't get a stereotypical view of me just because I am a female and I've decided to make Fate a female. I just felt like doing it this way, nothing more. I hope this clears up a few things._

_The title_

_'Predestination Goes Against the Grain' is a quote said by Chaos in the episode, 'When Chaos Comes Calling.' I thought it was an interesting way to describe his view of fate and destiny, so I decided to make it the title. Sorry if it seems long, but I have no desire to change it.. it looks so cool! Hehe._

_Now, onto the first chapter. I'm sorry if I may take long breaks during each chapter, but my chapters are usually quite long (if you call 4,000-6,000 words long..) so I hope that makes up for it. After reading, if you haven't made a review, please do! Enjoy!_

_P.S. If you ever want to see how I am doing with writing my Aladdin fic, or any of my other fics, I keep 'up-to-date' information on each fic at my profile, so check it out! Okay.. onto the chapter.._

* * *

__ _Chapter 1 – Enlightenment _

Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Carpet, Iago and Abu stood there, carefully watching Fate who rested on the table and made no other movement or sound. It felt like minutes, no, hours had passed since they all realized that Fate was right in front of their eyes. Genie began to scratch his head until his jaw dropped, almost touching the floor.

"Of course!" he shouted, dragging Aladdin behind the crowd. He spoke while pointing at the cat, "Al, that's Fate! The Commander of Consequence! The Queen of Karma!" At this point Genie was grabbing onto Aladdin's vest, yanking the boy towards him. "THE BIG CHEESE OF THE LITTLE CHEESES!!"

"..what?" Aladdin asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Okay, I made that last one up," Genie admitted, letting the young man go, "but that cat can.. get ready for this Al.. predict, change, and create the _future_!"

Aladdin's eyes widened as he glanced back at the immobile cat with black wings. Still perplexed, he asked, "Is she anything like Chaos?"

Genie laughed. "Oh, quite the opposite, Al. Fate is the kind of creature you'd _want_ to have around. She can turn thunderstorms into sunshine, earthquakes into a walk on the park.. you name it!"

Aladdin felt a strange shiver in his spine and then looked back at the others who heard everything that Genie had said. They began asking Fate questions right on the spot. Aladdin and Genie joined them.

"So," Iago, yanking the spoon out of his nose, started first, "you look a lot like a, quote un-quote.. 'dear friend' of ours. Are you, by any chance, related to Chaos?"

In an instant, the cat hissed at the name. "Chaos??" she said loudly. "I'd rather be kitty litter than have the same blood as that pesky feline." Her hair, at this point, was standing on end which made her look fairly dangerous. After getting used to Aladdin and his friends crowding around her, Fate was in no mood to hear that particular name.

Jasmine, hoping to calm Fate down, cautiously continued the conversation, "But you look so much like him."

Fate's eyes broadened as she looked at Jasmine. "Are you _mad_? I look nothing like him! Look! Look!" she yelled, taking both front paws and dragging her ears down to her rosy cheeks. "My ears are much larger than his and are more separated from each other." She quickly let go of her ears and moved onto the face. "These whiskers are at least _twice_ as long as his stubby ones. Also, my eyes are far more beautiful; they're sapphire while his are.. well.. I don't remember what colour but I'm positive it's a colour uglier than sapphire.."

"Okay, okay, we get the point," Iago said, crossing his wings.

"But, why are you here?" Aladdin finally asked.

Fate paused in her place and looked down. A few seconds had passed before she spoke again, "Well.. like I said.. it's hard to explain. Let's just say.. I've been around here a lot longer than you think, Aladdin."

The crowed gasped. "You know his name?" Jasmine said with wonder.

"Yes. Actually, I know all of your names," Fate said, pointing at everyone and naming them off like a professor would on a student attendance list. "Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Abu, Carpet and Iago. I also know about the Sultan and Rajah.. and the guards.. and, well, almost everyone in Agrabah, hehehe.."

They could not say anything. All that could be heard was the whisper of the wind blowing outside the Palace. Fate knew she had made the others feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, please, don't think of me as a stalker.. that's not my real job," she said, trying to redeem herself. "I, well.. I might as well tell you everything else about me that Genie hasn't mention yet. As he already said, I can control the future. I can say this pretty easily, but it's quite complicated to tell to others.. perhaps because I've never explained it before. Anyways, long story short, I fly around the world, predicting and controlling the futures of every individual. Well.. I cannot say _every_ individual.. there are too many. And sometimes it's not just people.. if there are erupting volcanoes then I ease them as best as I can. I deal with rather large situations, all on my own. But, don't let this scare you, because, as you can gather from what I've just said, I'm not around here all the time; it's a big world out there.."

Before she could continue, Iago interrupted. "Wait a minute, so lemme get this straight. Let's say we're fighting a sludge monster or something like that, and you were around. If we won, would it be all because of _you_?"

Fate's mouth moved, but nothing came out as she tried to find the right words to say. "W-well.. yes, if you put it that way. Sometimes, when I see you all having adventures, I do my best to help out in my own way."

The rest of the group still said nothing. This gave Fate another chance to make herself more appealing, "Okay, I'm not a very good explainer. My job has a lot of difficulties and clarifying it all will just lead you guys in a deep whole of enigma. Hmm.. well, I mostly work on long-term predictions, in this case, the outcome of a large battle. I don't foresee small things like.. let's see.. if Iago will trip over that spoon he just jerked out of his nose."

Iago felt very much offended and started walking towards Fate. "Now see here, kitty. The monkey and I were only-" just then, his foot got caught in the wooden spoon left on the ground and he fell to the ground. Abu began laughing hysterically as a few red feathers floated around the angry parrot.

"Okay, that was a mere coincidence," Fate said quickly before anyone could make an assumption. "Maybe Fluke is floating around here as well."

"Fluke?? Who's that?" Aladdin said, startled. Having more cosmic creatures around would not make the situation better.

"Ahaha, no one, I'm just playin' around," Fate said, giggling a bit. But seeing as the others were not joining in the laugh, she stopped. "Okay, I'm sorry. This is the first time you all have seen and heard of me. Well, Genie might've found out about me somewhere."

"You bet I have!" Genie agreed. Just then, a rather large book appeared in his blue hands. "I read all about you in the 'Book of Things You Might Wanna Know a Bit About if They Suddenly Appear In Front of You.'" It looked like the words were ready to fall off the book, which they eventually did.

"Mmhmm.. I'm surprised how much those writers were able to dish out about me.. that thing is a tabloid!" Fate said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, okay.. back to the subject," Aladdin announced. Nothing was completely clear just yet. "So, why'd you decide to watch over us so many times?"

The question left Fate twiddling her little paw fingers, trying to explain herself. "Well... to tell you the truth, you guys are one in a million. I've never seen such individuals as yourselves risk your lives for each other, and Agrabah. And trust me, I've been around for quite a few years."

"Describe 'quite a few years'.." Iago went on. "A hundred? Two hundred?"

"Mmm, let's just say I'm much older than Genie.. I guess you can say five times older.. meh, maybe ten.. you kind of lose track after a few millennia," the feline said with a smile. This made Genie's jaw drop again as he turned into stone and crumbled to the ground. Fate could not help but giggle once more. Iago began mumbling about how she must be using some sort of strong aging cream.

"So, we weren't able to see you before because.." Jasmine started, wanting Fate to finish the sentence.

"Oh, yes," Fate said, "I have my own invisibility spell which I've been using since I was born, so I can't really say where I got it from. For some reason it wore down on me today, which it has never done before. I hope I can still use it.." At that moment, the cat closed her eyes hard. After a few seconds, her tail disappeared. She opened her eyes, look behind her, and was disappointed. She closed her eyes again and one of her ears vanished. She kept doing this until only her face was visible. "Am I completely invisible yet?" she shouted.

"No," Aladdin said, a little amused at her attempts. "We can still see your face."

She frowned as her whole body appeared once more. "I don't understand, I gave it my all when it usually doesn't take much effort. Maybe it's because I haven't eaten in so long," Fate wondered, scratching her belly as if it were empty.

Concerned, Jasmine stepped out. "If you want," she spoke, "I can prepare for you a bowl of milk."

Fate's frown turned into a large smile which Aladdin recognized as the same one he saw when he first got a glimpse of the feline in the hallway. "Oh, that'd be wonderful," Fate said, sitting her whole body down with her tail slowly waggling.

Aladdin and Genie, back in his normal form, joined Jasmine as she prepared some milk while Abu, Iago and Carpet stayed with Fate. Jasmine slowly poured the milk in the bowl so there was enough time for inward conversation.

"Genie," Aladdin spoke somewhat quietly, "how could you've not known that Fate was wonderin' around the Palace? Who knows how long that cat has been here."

"Al, do you have any idea of Fate's powers?" Genie began. "Aside from her invisibility spell, she could go anywhere in the world, just like that! To control the future, that's a huge amount of power, guys. Almost as much as Chaos'.. maybe even more!"

"Speaking of Chaos," Jasmine interrupted as she emptied the bottle of milk, "she obviously detests him. Do they have some sort of past?"

Genie pondered on that for a while. "Well, maybe they've played a few card games in the last millennium or two, but that's from what I gathered when he was talking about Fate the last time he was here. The book I have doesn't explain everything. But think about it.. Fate the predictor.. Chaos the unpredictable.. can't say that equals a _pleasant_ couple. Maybe she's also here to try and avoid him or something," Genie thought on that for a moment and then shook his head. "Nah! She has one majorly tough job. Having to determine the fate of almost everything in the world.. that would equal to.." a calculator appeared in Genie's hands as he began fiddling with the keys with one finger, "hmmm.. nine hundred cups of coffee a week?!" He paused for a moment and then threw the calculator over his shoulder without a care.

"Well, as long as she doesn't try to escape again, we can ask all the questions we want. She looks to be comfortable enough with us," Jasmine said, walking with Aladdin, who still looked unconvinced, back into the room while carrying the bowl. There, Iago and Abu were making conversation with Fate while Carpet flew curiously around her.

"Okay," Iago said, his left wing pointing at Abu, "what do you predict Abu will look like five years from now?" Fate was confused at the question, thinking of what to say as she overheard Iago thinking out loud, '_Please look like a sponge.. please look like a sponge.. please look like a sponge.._' Abu stared at the parrot and gave an irritated mumble.

Finally, Fate answered, "Umm.. I'm afraid I can't predict that. I would have to stick with Abu for a longer while before deciding his fate. Besides, I think it's best for himself if he becomes what he wants to be naturally. I usually use my powers to _help_ others-"

"Usually?" Aladdin interrupted.

Jasmine placed the bowl onto the table. Fate, purring at the sight, dived her tongue into the warm milk. "Mmm.. this is delicious. Thank you very much," the feline said in-between licks. Aladdin wanted to emphasize his last statement again, but he decided to wait until a more convenient time.

Fate finished the milk quickly, but with a satisfying smile on her face. "Ah, how refreshing," she sighed, closing her eyes as if preparing for a nap.

"Oh, if you're tired, you may sleep in one of our rooms for the night. That is.. if you're not busy with your.. agenda," Jasmine said, hoping that it was the right word to use in Fate's case.

Fate opened her eyes, the indigo irises sparkling with delight. "Oh, don't worry about that. Once fate is decided, it's decided, so I don't have to go to every person in the world that I've already seen.. unless I want to check up on them," she said reassuringly. "I would love to stay here for the night. Thank you."

"Wait.. wait just a minute," Aladdin said, halting any further decisions. "We just found out that this cat's been hangin' around the Palace without us knowing, and now we're gonna let it sleep for the night? It's probably been sleeping here already without our permission!"

Fate heard what Aladdin said, but pretended that she didn't as she gave out a loud yawn.

"Aladdin," Jasmine said, trying to reason with him, "if Fate was trying to hurt us or cause trouble, she would've done so a long time ago. Look, the sun is already setting," Jasmine said, pointing at the balcony, "and there is no good reason to discuss this when _all_ of us need rest. We'll settle all accusations tomorrow."

There was no point in arguing with Jasmine once she made her statement. The sun was, indeed, right over the horizon, presenting its last rays across Agrabah. Fate followed Jasmine through the large Palace hallways and into an enchanting room filled with pillows and thick, colourful curtains and bed sheets.

"Why don't you sleep here tonight, Fate?" Jasmine insisted as she stood beside the doors, watching the cat glide through the air behind her. "The pillows are quite comfortable and-"

"Wait! She's sleepin' in _our_ room??" A loud yell came from beside Jasmine. The princess looked down as she saw Iago and Abu right at the opening of the chamber.

"Yes, she is," Jasmine said blatantly. "Is there a problem with that?"

"It certainly isn't a problem with me," Fate answered with a warm smile, admiring every corner of the area.

"But!-" Iago tried to argue.

"Alright, then it's settled. Have a pleasant night you three. Please don't stay up too late," Jasmine said. And with that, she pushed the three animals in and closed the large door behind them.

Iago and Abu eyed Fate who stood in the air, confused at their expressions. "What's wrong, guys?" she began, "I'm not going to corrupt your futures, okay? I'm quite nice most of the time."

The two looked at each other with a quirk look. Abu then began screeching in his usual manner towards the cat. Fate squinted downwards, trying to pick up at least one word he was saying. Quickly giving up, she looked at Iago. "Umm.. English please?"

Iago sighed and spoke in a plain tone, "He said he's not used to supernatural creatures that look like Chaos sleepin' in the same room as ours." Just then, the volume of his voice grew. "As a matter of fact, neither am I!" It was obvious that Iago was still suffering psychologically from Chaos' last visit to Agrabah, as he remembered when the trickster cat temporarily morphed his head into something that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Fate gasped in disbelief. "I don't understand why you'd even _think_ I look like that jerk! Look, I'm not in _any_ way allied with Chaos. The last time I met him was well over a few centuries ago and that didn't even go well. So, I'd rather just.. not hear his name, is that alright with you two?" She gently floated down, hoping she did not sound harsh in any way.

"Why are you so nice to us?" Iago said, wanting to ask this question for quite some time now. "I mean, you've got the power to do good things, but nasty things as well. You could create huge storms, or summon a dragon.. or stuff like that.. there must be things on this planet that ticks you off-" While saying this, Iago was flailing his arms to create emotion in his words, which was quite common of him to do.

Fate couldn't help but interrupt the talking parrot, "Now now, you're getting my work mixed up with another flying cat who shall remain nameless. I don't summon creatures.. I'm not a sorcerer. Creating storms.. well, that's another story. But why would I want to cause others pain? It doesn't make sense. But then again, others in this world don't think I make much sense either." The feline jumped onto a nearby window and stared off into the sky. "This world is too beautiful to go through distress. That's why I try not to get mad all the time, because there's no point in expressing such a negative emotion. There are wonderful people, like you all, who are willing to risk their lives and go to distant places where others really need help. And it doesn't even matter to you whether you know them or not! It's incredible! The feeling inside when I see everyone so happy once their lives are saved.. it's just-"

Once she turned around, she noticed that Iago and Abu were lying flat on the pile of multicoloured pillows, deep in slumber. She felt a bit irritated at their rudeness, but decided to take the opportunity she had and finally be closer to the group she thought she would never be able to speak to. It all felt like a vivacious daydream that she wished to not at all be distracted from.

She flew over to the soft pillows and carefully placed herself down, falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

With Genie back in his lamp and Carpet sleeping peacefully, Aladdin and Jasmine had a perfect time to talk alone before going to bed.

"Aladdin, I know you don't fully trust her," Jasmine said with a concerned look in her eyes. "I find it a bit strange as well, but she has adapted to us so well. I think she's wanted to get to know us for a long time."

Aladdin shook his head as he took Jasmine out to the balcony. The stars had now come out, thousands of them filling the beautiful night sky. A few meteors were already darting in every direction. The couple stood there, marveling for a while, until Aladdin finally spoke, "Jasmine, it's not that I don't trust her. It's.."

He took a long pause, which Jasmine waited patiently in. "It's just that... I've lost count of how many adventures we've all had together. Mechanicles, Abis Mal, Mozenrath.. all of 'em.. we fought as a team to stop them from spreading evil and hurting others. And now, in a matter of moments.. I've learned that all those times we've won were just 'cause of that cat.. that little cat.." Aladdin clenched his hands over the balcony railing, trying to contain his slight resentment.

Jasmine put one hand on his shoulder. Feeling how tense the muscle was, she tried drastically to think of the right thing to say. "It's hard for me to believe as well. But I'm sure she hasn't been around during _all_ of our adventures. Everyone has a fate on this planet, so it's her duty to be there, fulfilling it. But, don't you feel a bit relieved as well?"

Aladdin turned his head towards her with a look of puzzlement. Jasmine continued, "Fate has to choose her own fate as well. Can you imagine what the world would be like if she decided to create a dark future for every living thing? _Her_ choice is _our_ bliss."

Suddenly, Aladdin was completely filled with anger. "Oh yeah?" he shouted. "Then how come there are so many people suffering? I was a street rat once, after all. For most of my life I saw helpless children without a family, tryin' their best to survive and for _what_? Because Fate has decided that it should be that way??"

Jasmine took her hand off his shoulder as he was breathing hard. There was nothing more she could do to calm his nerves, but she continued to try nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Aladdin," she said softly. "I cannot answer those questions. You'll have to ask her." She turned her head away from her lover and looked back into the sky which had handfuls of shooting stars scattering here and there.

Realizing that he had gone too far, Aladdin regained himself and took Jasmine's hands. "I'm sorry, Jasmine. I didn't mean to shout. I just.. hope I can get answers to my questions."

Jasmine smiled as she went towards Aladdin and kissed him gently on the lips. "Don't worry. You will."

* * *

As the sky darkened, more of the meteor shower was able to be seen. It was a spectacular view no matter where one was on the planet.. or perhaps in the universe..

Mirage, the dark cat woman, peered through her crystal ball, gazing at Aladdin and Jasmine enjoying the view of the night sky. Disgusted, she gave out an angered sigh. "A meteor shower. What a perfect way to brighten the happy couple. This is just too much..-"

"...Too much of a cliché?" a familiar voice echoed through Morbia, Mirage's lair. Surprised, she looked in all directions, but then brought herself at a bit of an ease when she recognized who the voice belonged to. But no, she wouldn't be at ease for much longer.

"Er, yes.. I suppose you could say that, Chaos.." Mirage answered, trying to find out where he would come into view.

"What's the matter, kitten? Not expecting me?" the voice spoke again, this time, right behind her. Mirage quickly stood up from her throne and turned around, seeing only Chaos' eyes and wide smile. Slowly, the rest of his body appeared as he sat on the very top of her high chair.

_I never thought I'd see him again so soon.._ Mirage thought to herself. There he stood, with a large grin on his face, not even caring about what happened the last time they met. Mirage would now think twice before trying to trick that cat into doing her own work.

"No.. I'd never expect you to come at a time like this, master," Mirage said, slowly bowing down. This time, she knew that obedience was a key to saving herself.. and perhaps have Chaos leave quicker. "You're just too unpredictable."

"Mmm.. yes, I know," Chaos agreed, flying off the top of Mirage's throne and landing right where she previously sat. She dug all her anger deep within herself, trying to think of peaceful thoughts. _Don't worry, he'll leave soon.. just act like you're doing something productive.._

She then remembered the task she was doing. Well, spying _could_ be considered a task. She looked at her crystal ball which was still showing Abrabah at the present time. "I was just.. catching up on how Agrabah is doing. I'm sure you remember the place quite well." At this point, Chaos lifted an eyebrow in what may have looked like a spring in curiosity. _The mention of Agrabah was a good idea_, Mirage said to herself. _Keep going.._ "There is a meteor shower happening now. Care to see?" she said, pointing at the ball.

Chaos' interest suddenly dropped. He closed his eyes, yawned and stretched his front paws to feel more comfortable on the chair. "I'm afraid I've seen too many of those in my lifetime. A meteor's movement is too planned. It only goes in one direction unless you have a large enough planet or sun to change its gravitational pull.. and we both know how many meteors there are compared to other celestial bodies," Chaos chuckled at his own intelligence and wit. She forced out a few laughs with him, although she would rather have exhaled a heap of hateful words. "Besides," Chaos seemed to continue, "what would interest me in Agrabah? I've already been there!" He opened his eyes as he made his last exclamation. Aladdin.. the Genie.. they were all playthings to him that he grew bored of in just one day! His expression told Mirage that he was in the process of peering through her, trying to find any hint of peculiarity.

Mirage was running out of ideas. All she wanted was to get Chaos away from here, without fuss, before he decided to turn his visit into an enduring vacation. There had to be something that would catch Chaos' attention... that would convince him there's a place out there that would clearly be in his own interest...

Her biggest mistake was her prolonged silence, and Chaos noticed this quickly. He bent forward, still looking at her, with his head tilted slightly to the side and his long tail swirling in a smooth rhythm. "Now, Mirage. You're not planning any tricks, are you? I'm sure the last thing you'd like is for me to think you're becoming predictable as well.." His words curled around his tongue which was a small, yet familiar sign that he was up to something.

She hesitated, which was another wrong move. This was not going well at all. She had to keep the conversation going. "Oh, um.. no, of course not. Er.. I know you wouldn't like it if I was trying to deceive you again.."

"No, I wouldn't," the blue cat said with a straight tone and no emotion at all. "Last time, you failed. This time will not be any different." He stood up and stared at Mirage with what looked like eyes that were slightly glowing red. This was it; he was mad. It wouldn't be long before he had his own fun. _Think Mirage... think... think..._

Just then, the crystal ball began flashing and flickering. Mirage watched closely in the corner of her eye as different scenes were being revealed from inside the Palace of Agrabah. She couldn't understand why it was doing this, until one scene appeared and the ball became still as before. Her full attention was now at what was being shown. It was a room inside the Palace. It was filled with pillows and bed sheets on the floor and in every corner. She glared at two animals whom she recognized as Iago and Abu. They were apparently snoring extremely loudly. And there.. near them.. was her.. the one creature she never expected.. right in the heart of Agrabah...

A smile grew on Mirage's face. She thought she would never see that feline again. This must have been the luckiest day of her life.

Her attention towards the crystal ball was broken by Chaos speaking once more with a sturdy tone. "Mirage, I'm getting bored already. Unless you have something _worth_ observing in that magical sphere of yours, I might as well have to.. ahem.. 'tidy' this place up." Chaos flew off the chair, curious at what Mirage was concentrating on.

"Chaos," Mirage began with a smile still on her face, "do you remember countless years ago.. when the entire _group_ was still linked? Perhaps you'd like to see how an old member of ours is doing." She pointed at the crystal ball.

Chaos slowly moved towards the orb, his eyes still holding contact with Mirage's. Finally, the contact was broken as he gazed into what was being exposed. Once he caught a glimpse of her, his eyes broadened. In an instant, they began to glow dark red, like fire contained in a small area. A puff of dark blue smoke circulated him and began blowing in every direction, toppling over objects and sending them high in the air. Mirage dived back and grabbed a hold of her chair, having second thoughts about her intention.

Chaos began to grow twice his size and, in a matter of seconds, ten times his size. He bared his teeth, which looked like razor sharp fangs that could tear through anything. His eyes were now blood read and the smoke circumnavigated him faster and faster. He spoke, in a low and deadly tone, "_What.. is.. she.. doing.. in.. Agrabah??!?_" Bits of debris were scattering across Morbia. Mirage covered her eyes with her arm, hissing at the piles of dust colliding with her. Chaos continued to grow and the blue smoke was expanding as well.. expanding.. expanding.. expanding.. until..

POOF!

Everything was gone. Mirage's kingdom looked just as it was before Chaos' hasty arrival. All that was left was a small pile of light blue smoke hovering right beside the crystal ball. Once the fog faded away, Chaos, in his normal form, was still there.. except now with a small grin on his face. He cupped his paws together, rubbing them against each other as if plotting something in his devious mind.

"I think I'll pay a _little_ visit," he said in a calm voice as he vanished without another second to spare. Mirage stepped away from her throne and looked back into the glowing orb. She watched the feline sleep in the Palace. How peaceful she looked, without a care in the world. Images of the small cat were flickering in Mirage's mind as it almost exploded from the sudden rush of nostalgia. The cat woman maintained her composure, and her grin.

"Enjoy your dreams, dear Fate.." she said out loud, "for once you wake up, your world will be filled with utter chaos!"

Her wicked cackle echoed through the dark sky as the last meteor from the shower made its way through the vast heavens.


	3. Concern for the World

**Predestination Goes Against the Grain **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin or any characters from the films/series. This is just a harmless Aladdin fic._

_Enjoying it so far? Interested in the strange relation between Chaos, Mirage and Fate? Well, you won't get too much information about it in this particular chapter, but there are MANY hints. Trust me. Important things happen in this chapter so read carefully and enjoy._

_After this chapter, I may be taking a longer while in between writing. It's almost school and I'm entering my fourth year in high school. Number of assignments increase, sleeping hours shorten, and I'm stuck with refusing to drink coffee because it's NASTY! is a coffee hater can you not tell? heh The point is.. you might have to wait a month or so between each chapter. I'm sorry, but I wrote this fic because I knew it was possible. Chaos, in the episode he was in, actually talked about Fate which gave me the idea of a fic that can actually work. So, I will not abandon the fic, I will just be going on and off from it. I hope you guys can be patient about this. I won't let you down in any way! REMEMBER, if you want up-to-date news, check out my profile! Well.. time to work on the next chapter before school starts! But first, here's the second, hot from the toaster.._

* * *

_Chapter 2 – Concern for the World _

Distracted by the intense rays of light through the large window, Iago tossed and turned over the soft cushions, trying to catch a few more minutes of rest. In dismay, he took the challenge of getting up. Scratching his head, he looked over his shoulder, noticing Abu who was snoring with a trickle of drool escaping his open mouth and splashing on the presently wet pillow. After shuddering at the scene, Iago got up on his feet, stretched his wings and looked around the room. He then felt that something was wrong.. as if something was slightly out of place..

"Hey!" he shouted, waking the startled Abu at the same time. The parrot stared at an empty press in one of the pillows. "Where'd that cat run off to?"

* * *

"Fate brought us together, my dearest," the handsome young man said as he bent over to his fiancée to look deeper in her eyes. "There isn't a single doubt in my mind."

"Yes, it is true," she said back, smiling as if it were her last. "I will love you until the ends of time."

Her emerald eyes glimmered as the moon hung at the highest peak of the night sky. Hearing these words made her heart ascend to the utmost level of happiness, where he was as well, waiting for her. This couple... happily together in each others' arms like a prince and his ballerina in a music box, their passionate song lasting for all eternity.

The young woman rested her head on his chest as they danced, even though there was no music on the remote beach in southern Italy. It was a pleasant evening for them that would be remembered forever.

"Ahhh.. it doesn't get any better than this," Fate said as she let out an immense sigh of satisfaction. She smiled at the happy couple, knowing exactly how this would turn out, but watching it nonetheless. It was cliché, over exaggerated, and perhaps a bit _mushy_, but nevertheless it was happiness. "You two will be happy, there's no doubt about that. There'll be hard times, but your love will overcome it all with each step you take."

She hung in the air as the couple stopped and looked far beyond the beach, where the moon reflected off the water in glittering elegance. She almost wished they would notice her, but Fate then remembered that she was invisible. That milk Jasmine gave her must have done the spell good.

Hand-in-hand, they took a long stroll across the soft shore. Fate wanted to follow them, but knew her place. Somehow, although the couple did not know or hear her, she felt abandoned.. isolated by them. Her smile faded as she soared up into the air at full speed, leaving them with the fate that was created for them.

* * *

Just as Iago and Abu finished searching drastically under and behind every pillow, Fate made an appearance in the air and slowly settled to the ground. She opened her eyes, only to see the parrot's large beak right in front of her face.

"Where the heck were you?" Iago shouted as if ready to have a heart attack. "If Jasmine found out you were gone, she'd blame us!"

"Sorry, sorry," Fate said swiftly, a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for you two. I had a very nice rest, but I also had something, um... important to do, over in the west. I have an imperative job, after all."

Abu scratched his head with one finger as he made monkey conversation with Iago. Listening to what he said, Iago shook his head.

"No, no!" the parrot yelled once more. "Don't you remember? She decides everyone's fate! She was probably helpin' fortune tellers around the world, because we all know they need _serious_ help."

Fate couldn't help but chuckle. "Mmm.. yes, I suppose you could say that," she said, ignoring the fact oblivious to him that she wasn't supposed to show herself to others.

* * *

Having a supernatural creature was bound to create more adventures, but Aladdin didn't feel any familiar sensation. After a short rest, he walked to the same balcony and watched the beautiful sun rise. Agrabah was another day older.

Iago, Abu and Fate made their way into the large room where Jasmine, Genie and Carpet already were. Aladdin, looking back, could overhear Jasmine insisting on preparing breakfast but Genie, already in his cooking apron, was boiling eggs on what looked like a blue stove in front of him. He turned back around and continued to concentrate on the glowing sun lifting from the horizon. _What if Fate is the one lifting that sun everyday?_ a thought had sprung into his head. He shook it off, not wanting to ever believe that. While looking out, he still listened to the conversation happening inside.

The Sultan entered the room with such a presence that Fate gasped, dropped to the floor and bowed to the dominant man. Jasmine went up to her father and told him everything about her. "She has told us so much about herself and her reason for being around here without us knowing. It shouldn't be a problem if she stayed every so often in our presence rather than having her returning to her invisible form."

The Sultan took his time to digest the information as he observed the feline for the first time. Yet, all the while he had a smile on his face. "Well," he began, "I'm just glad that there's at least one mystic creature in this world that isn't willing to cause trouble in Agrabah. Fate is more than welcome to stay for as long as she wants."

The cat stood up on four paws, ran over to the Sultan and jumped in his arms, purring. "Thank you so much, Mr..- er, I mean.. your highness! I'm very happy here!" Her happiness brought a twinkle to the wise man's eye as he chuckled joyfully.

"Awwww.." Genie said, putting his hands together as he watched the Sultan pet Fate. "What a lovely scene. This calls for a stupendous breakfast!" He grabbed the frying pan which had a few eggs inside and shook it around, making sure they came out just perfectly.

"Oh.. I'm sorry, I'm not much of an egg eater," Fate said shyly, shaking her head towards the stove as she jumped out of the Sultan's arms.

"Oooh, that's alright, kitty! I've got the perfect meal for you!" Genie said delightfully as a plate appeared on the table in front of her. It was a stack of hot pancakes, smothered in melting butter with a batch of strawberries placed beside each other around the plate. Fate tried her best not to slaver over the stunning serving of food.

"S-st.. strawberries??" she stuttered in disbelief. "T-these are my favourite! How did you know?"

"Ohoho, it was just an intuition, you might say.." Genie said bashfully, hiding the 'Book of Things You Might Wanna Know a Bit About if They Suddenly Appear In Front of You' behind him.

They all enjoyed their meals wholeheartedly. Aladdin, however, continued to stay in his position without any intention of moving. Jasmine, concerned, got up in between eating and went off to meet him.

"Is something wrong, Aladdin?" Jasmine asked, standing slightly behind him, not certain of the expression on his face. "Didn't you sleep well?"

He didn't turn around to acknowledge her. Jasmine almost assumed that he was ignoring her, but then he spoke in a quiet tone. "I'm fine. I've just been thinking a lot. Don't worry about me, I'm not hungry. But.. if you could, please tell Fate to come here once she's finished eating." He slowly turned his head to see if Jasmine would give a response. She nodded, staring into his eyes to try and find something comprehensible but failed. She said nothing more as she left her lover standing at the balcony.

"Hey, Princess!" Genie shouted as Jasmine made her way back to the eating table. "Is something wrong with Al? I've got his usual sunny-side up just the way he likes it."

Jasmine shook her head, making a reassuring smile. "There's no problem. Let's just enjoy our meal." She sat down and casually went back to finishing her breakfast. Fate looked at her and then stretched her head back to glance at Aladdin. The cat's eyes filled with suspicion and concern. Iago and Abu didn't seem to notice their surroundings as they gulped down at least four eggs each.

It wasn't long before every bit of food had vanished from the table. "My most humble gratitude," said the Sultan, delicately wiping a bit of food from his chin with a silk napkin. "Everything was delicious!" Jasmine and Fate nodded in agreement while Iago and Abu fell to the floor with bloated stomachs.

"Well, I must get back to work. Agrabah cannot run on its own, after all..." the Sultan said, dismissing himself after Jasmine gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she turned around, the princess noticed Fate giggling at the sight of Iago and Abu.

"Hehehe, unbelievable! They were sleeping ten minutes ago and already they're taking a small nap!" the feline said with a large smile. Looking down on her, Jasmine couldn't believe that such a creature could ever do harm to Agrabah, or for that matter, anywhere in the world.

"Fate, may I talk to you for a moment?" Jasmine said, letting a hand out as a sign for her to come forward. The cat nodded as she flew towards the princess. Her floating in the air made it easier for Jasmine to whisper in her ear.

"Aladdin has had a lot on his mind lately. I don't mean to put you in a rough position, but it's mostly about you. He has a few questions to ask. Is that alright with you?" she said, pointing to the balcony. Fate turned around, tilted her head curiously, and looked back at Jasmine.

"Sure," she said simply, making her way towards Aladdin. Jasmine began cleaning up the place with Genie and Carpet's help, not bothering to force assistance from Iago and Abu.

"..Aladdin?" Fate said, the words just making it out of her mouth as she waited at the opening of the balcony. The young man turned his head and stared at the creature for a moment.

"Come on out," he said softly, facing back as he looked down at Agrabah. Fate flew gracefully in the air and placed herself right on top of the railing, right beside Aladdin.

Agrabah looked so tranquil from where they stood, with every civilian carrying on with their fragile lives while also keeping an eye on their loved ones through the sandy streets. The structures stood, not as well as the Palace, but they still stood, which was more than enough for the ones living there. It was a serene cycle that, for once, was not aimed to be broken. This is how they wanted their lives to be.. the same thing over and over until they breathed their last..

Aladdin shifted his eyes towards Fate as she crouched down, looking a bit nervous. He didn't want to make her feel self-conscious, but this was his best chance at getting a few things off his chest about her. It was then that he first noticed Fate's neck collar glittering from the sun's reflection. It seemed to have a symbol on it.. an eye inside something that he couldn't exactly make out.

"What's that on your neck collar?" he decided to ask first. There didn't seem to be any harm in asking that question.

Fate quickly looked at Aladdin and then looked down, although not being able to see her collar tucked under her chin. She decided to take her paw and feel the hot silver on her fur, with the marks that formed a symbol. "Well, I got this when I was born. It's the one thing that settled my destiny... a symbol of my job, and the one I will continue to do for centuries to come. It illustrates an eye in the middle of an eclipse, an event that happens a few times a year. Don't ask me why it's like that, because I won't be able to answer that."

The answer was more than enough for Aladdin as he continued to stare at the collar. It boggled his mind, to think that a piece of jewelry could do so much on this one cat. It made him wonder if Chaos' collar was as vital to his work as it was to Fate's. Thinking of the word 'work' when relating to Chaos didn't sound right to him at all. Then, he noticed something else on it. Right above the eye, there seemed to be a long line, perhaps a scratch, carved into the piece. Yes, it did look like a scar. He lowered his back to get a closer look, trying at the same time not to look too watchful. Aladdin couldn't help but ask.

"There seems to be a cut of some sort on that collar.. at least, that's what it looks like. Is it part of the collar or did something happe-"

"S-sandstorm," Fate quickly said, interrupting Aladdin right on the spot. There was a long and uncomfortable pause while the feline's eyes slanted to the side where Aladdin was standing but with an obvious struggle to keep them straight forward.

"A.. _sandstorm_?" Aladdin repeated, not expecting such an odd answer.

Fate giggled, shaking off her nervous glance and looking back at Aladdin. "Hehe, of course, Aladdin. I'm sure you've been in one before. It got me while my guard was down, and you know how those storms can send large debris into the air. I guess I just wasn't lucky that time.." Her eyes went back forward as she took her paw off the collar.

Aladdin chose to leave that topic and onto another.. something that was definitely more important.

"Fate, when was the last time you helped someone other than us?" Aladdin asked.

Fate took her time with the question, acting a bit confused at why he would ask such a thing. Nonetheless.. "Well, I had to wake up a bit early this morning to help out a couple."

"And.. what did you help them with?" Aladdin continued.

"With their.. relationship," Fate said. She gulped uncontrollably. When the words came out of her mouth, she felt as if she said something wrong. It somewhat shocked her, and left her with a strange feeling.

"I see," Aladdin said quietly, almost wishing he didn't hear that. While there were others suffering against their will she was off helping two people with their intimacy. He felt like exploding, but he kept his composure.

"So, that's what's most important to you in this world? If two people ever find love?" he continued to push her, not caring anymore whether he made her uncomfortable or not.

"W-what do you mean?" Fate said, stumbling over her own words. She did feel a bit bad with what she did last night, but she couldn't find a good enough reason to be so she tried to shake the feeling off.

"Look out there," Aladdin spoke, his arm out in front of him as he showed the feline all of Agrabah. "These people.. this society.. there's something wrong with it. Can you find out what?" The tone of his voice suddenly grew.

"Umm.." Fate wondered about that. She got a bit frightened by his last question and was unable to think straight. "Uh, they haven't eaten breakfast yet?"

That was it.. he couldn't contain it anymore. Of all the answers she could've given him, that was the one that would make him snap.

"No, Fate! No!" he shouted, turning his whole body towards the cat. "You say you've been in Agrabah many times, but you can't seem to fully open your eyes! There are dying people out there, Fate! They're _dying_ of hunger. Yes.. actually, you're right! They haven't eaten breakfast yet.. and they won't eat a lunch either.. or even a dinner! This is how the cycle of their life goes.. no food, water or money! Can you tell me how you can live with that, when you claim that you _usually_ help others??"

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Fate stood there, her paws shivering a bit at Aladdin's harmful tone of voice. He wasn't looking for a calm conversation at all. He was serious, and Fate only noticed this now. She drastically searched for words to defend herself with. "N-now, Aladdin.. please don't think that I neglect these people, because I don't. Sometimes... sometimes, there are situations that I cannot work with because-"

"Because _what_?" Aladdin intentionally interrupted. "Because you'd rather spend your time helping a healthy and happy couple? Because you'd rather help people that are _worth_ your time? Because-"

"B-because I'd rather leave it to _you!_" She yelled, her voice almost leaving her. Aladdin stopped with his accusations for a moment. Still not convinced, he wanted to continue, but she went on.

"I'm only one person, Aladdin! If I could help every single being in this entire world than I would, but I _just can't_!" Fate let the words escape her mouth without thinking, her unsteady voice increasing in volume. "I'm alone here, and there's no one to help me with my job! Trust me, everyone means everything to me. I _know _the people of Agrabah and am trying my best to help them, and you know how?" She left a pause, wondering if Aladdin would bother to answer, but she continued when he didn't. "Because I'm helping _you_! You are the ones supporting the Sultan with decisions on how to run the place. _You_ are the ones going out there, finding treasure and giving it to these people so they can live another day. At first I thought it was wrong, but then I realized you're all doing this out of the goodness of your hearts! I've never seen such a thing in my life! So, I decided a long time ago that I would help you in your adventures, just so you could help others!"

She stopped there, trying to breathe. It was obvious that she had not yelled like this for a fairly long time. Aladdin looked at her, unable to say anything. The others stayed in the room, looking curiously outside to see if there was trouble but decided not to interfere.

"Why didn't you just tell us this in the beginning?" Aladdin finally asked.

"Aladdin," Fate said resuming her normal tone, not wanting to augment it anymore. "It's the same reason why I never wanted to reveal myself to you all.. ever. It's not something that you should know... that _anybody_ should know. It's my duty to decide the fate of everyone, and that's all. I'm not supposed to have a connection with anyone, no matter how much I want to. That's the rule. And now that rule is broken.."

"And who decided these rules?"

Aladdin's last question made Fate bring her head down, her eyes slightly closed and looking at nothing in particular. "I... don't know.."

Aladdin brought a hand on top of the cat's head, showing that he was not angry anymore. "Fate, I won't ask you questions like these anymore. I'm sorry for yelling. I'm now glad that you're here."

With the heaviness escaping her heart, Fate lifted her head to look at Aladdin again. Despite the many times she has watched over him, there was so much she didn't know about the young man. Her initial presence had frightened him. He didn't fully understand the concept of fate and how the future cannot change once it is decided. A long time ago, Fate didn't want to believe it either, but she didn't want to stop believing in herself, so she gave in and accepted what she had to do. Hopefully, Aladdin would realize what life was like through her eyes.

"Thank you, Aladdin. I'm sorry for shouting as well. Um.." Fate shifted her head as she saw Aladdin's friends inside. "Perhaps, we should go back inside."

He nodded and made his way into the room. Fate's words had pressed into Aladdin's thoughts as he began to walk. He may have had many adventures, but there was a world that he had never seen... Fate's world. He couldn't imagine what pressure the feline must've been going through after years of watching over millions of people in the world.. and all he could think of was Agrabah's well being. He slowly began to understand why she wanted to help a couple in their relationship.. it was like an ease to her.. a break from reality where she wanted to work hard to make millions happy.. where she worked so hard that she almost couldn't find her own happiness. Jasmine was right.. she could've decided to leave everyone with a fate of pain and hopelessness, but she didn't. _She didn't_. Aladdin was glad that he talked with her, for his eyes were now truly opening.

"Um.. Aladdin?" Fate said as the young man was ready to enter back inside the Palace. He turned around to see that she did not move from her spot on the balcony.

"Yes?" he answered back.

She really wanted to tell him.. tell him why there was still suffering even though she was doing her best to bring to an end. There were others out there trying to throw her off. She hadn't seen them for so long, or felt their presence in any way, but they were there.. she knew they were there. Not Abis Mal.. not Mozenrath.. none of those, they were nothing compared to her old companions. Fate didn't want to remember them, or think of them as a concern.. but they were. They were out there causing pain and destruction right behind her back, bringing all the weight on her shoulders without anything to lift it off. It was no use telling Aladdin and having the others worry. He was right, she had a bigger duty than just bringing couples together. Her goal was for the entire world to find peace and happiness, even if it meant sacrificing her own joy. Those atrocious evils enjoyed laughing at her own struggle, enjoyed being sadists. She wouldn't give up, but it was a tough battle between elementals. There was only one of her.. but two of them..

"Nothing, nevermind. I'll be there in a second," she said, forcing a smile. Aladdin left to join the others who were waiting at the result of their conversation.

Fate was left to gaze at the bright morning sun that smoothed out over the town. She counted on Aladdin and his friends to keep Agrabah safe while she had the other parts of the world to worry about. To her sadness, she was beginning to regret having her invisibility spell wear down. No one was ever supposed to know about her and her powers. However, despite her magic, there were things she couldn't control, such as the past. The feline jumped off the railing and went on inside, understanding her position and hoping it wouldn't break her concentration on her job... her goal.

* * *

Lying on her comfortable throne in Morbia, Mirage stared into the sky and wondered on the happenings in the past few hours.

"So, Fate has been in Agrabah all along," she said out loud to herself. She smirked, questioning why she hadn't thought of this before. "It's so obvious! And here I am destroying ships and crushing tall buildings, wondering why she never made an appearance. She was there all this time. Well, perhaps not all the time, but she does seem to enjoy herself there."

The cat woman brought her hands together and up in front of her mouth as she bent over to think back on the times when they were all together. She didn't know her as long as Chaos did, but she was such a talkative feline.. one would be able to know all about her in a short conversation. Mirage wondered if she changed at all since they last spoke.

"Aladdin and his friends must be the first people she's spoken to after she left. What a delicious sense of irony," she said, grinning. "To put her own job on such holds.. she must really adore those pathetic beings. That's not much of a surprise on her behalf, though."

She extended her back once more, looking up into the endless sky, almost wishing that she had gone off on a visit to Agrabah as well.

"I hope Chaos gives her my _regards_."

* * *

"So, what shall we do today?" Genie said, turning into Pippi Longstocking and talking in a high pitched female voice.

"It's a beautiful morning. Perhaps we should go for a nice walk through Agrabah," Jasmine proposed.

"Hello! I thought our goal was to _stop_ being bored," Iago yelled, getting up from the floor and hitting Abu's head to wake him up. The monkey screamed but quickly ignored him. The others took high liberty of disregarding him as well.

_So, this is where that little kitten has been hiding.. how entertaining! _A thought came into the blue cat's mind as he stood at the highest window from the room, where no one was looking or even bothered to. It was not a matter to him either way since he was invisible from the start. He flew down to take a closer look at Fate, who was planted on the floor, listening to the others as they were making a plan for the day. 

_Hmm.. can't say she's grown much.._ Chaos thought in his mind as he flew _right_ behind her. She didn't notice his presence at all. _I suppose her curiousity of Aladdin and his company has gotten the best of her. Now, to get the others out of the way..._ He scratched the bottom of his chin, thinking of the perfect diversion. He then snapped his fingers, coming up with an excellent idea.

"Did you hear that?" Aladdin said, putting one hand over his ear to listen carefully. He could've sworn he heard a loud thumping noise coming from outside. The others looked at Aladdin and then at the balcony. The thumping continued.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked. They all ran to the balcony. Surprised, they observed downwards as a large grasshopper was making its way into Agrabah. Squinting, they looked at something unusual on top of the bug's head. It was an... _afro_?? After realizing this, the only expression the others could give was perplexing and superficial. Other than the thumbing of his legs onto the hard ground, they could also hear the screams coming from the homes of civilians.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talkin' about! Well, close enough anyways," Aladdin said, already prepared for another adventure, despite the slight mockery of it. Chaos smiled as he watched his plan go into perfect play.

Genie transformed into an army soldier with a large can of bug spray that looked like a bazooka. "It's time someone called in the _exterminator_!" He said in a low, Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, loading his can of spray as if it were a gun.

Aladdin whistled as Carpet dove into appearance, spread out for everyone to get on. They were all ready to head over to deal with the problem, when they noticed that Fate was sitting on the railing, her head sunk down a bit as she looked at Carpet.

"Would you like to climb on? We could sure use your help," Jasmine said with a smile. Fate's heart lifted as she heard those words. She had never been on Carpet before; she was always off in a distance as the group had their adventures. And now, she was invited. She never thought she would have this opportunity! This must've been the happiest day of her life! But...

"Er- you guys go on ahead. I know you'll be able to win without me," Fate answered as she looked in the other directions with her ears slanting downwards.

"Why is that?" Aladdin asked. He couldn't help but feel guilty about Fate's current state. "Didn't you say that you try your best to help us? You're now more than welcome to join us!"

Fate held the tears of happiness back as she looked at them again. "No no, it's not that. You were right Aladdin, I have important tasks to complete. I know somewhere out there I am needed. Whoever brought this _thing _in.." she said while pointing at the afro-headed grasshopper which already made its way into Agrabah, ".. I'm sure you all can handle it without my help for now. It looks like a real pushover. But.. just be careful. I'll return soon."

Aladdin and Jasmine smiled at her and nodded.

"Okay people! That disco bug isn't going to get poisoned by itself!" Iago yelled, trying to bring their attention back to the grasshopper already destroying a few markets.

"Let's move, Carpet!" Aladdin shouted. And with that, the entire group had gone off to fight. Fate sighed as she crawled back into the Palace. All the while, Chaos watched her with a somewhat intriguing look on his face.

"I know they'll be alright," Fate reassured herself as she walked around the empty room, feeling the loneliness that was far too familiar to her. "I mean, that thing looked so ridiculous.. who would send such a creature? Aladdin was right all along. I _should_ be thinking about others who are in trouble rather than them."

"Did it ever cross your mind that perhaps all you want is your _own_ contentment?" Chaos' voice echoed through the room, startling Fate. She looked at every corner, trying to find the person who just spoke.

"Who's there? Who are you?" she shouted with a crumb of fear stuck in her throat. Her voice also bounced off the walls and echoed into nothing, as if the place was completely empty after all. No, someone was here. She suddenly felt a rough sense of claustrophobia, trapped around the voice that not even herself could discover.

"It's always amusing to see you so startled. Has it been so long that you can't even recognize my voice?" he said, giving out a chuckle at the end.

She paused the search and concentrated on the voice. It didn't hit her until the very last word escaped his mouth. Her hair stood on end. It couldn't be him. Out of all the possible beings in the world... not him... after all these years... all these centuries...

"C... Chaos!"


	4. Unplanned Reunion

**Predestination Goes Against the Grain **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin or any characters from the films/series. This is just a harmless Aladdin fic._

_Sorry it took so long for the next chapter to be posted; school is up and running and I've joined a lot of clubs that are eating my time away. However, this is proof that I'm still writing this fic. Chapter 3 is a very important chapter (can you guess? ) because the climax is starting to build. I do not intend to make the entire story long since my chapters are around 4-5,000 words each.. but we'll see how it goes. And hey, the chapter comes out right on Halloween! There's nothing too spooky in this chapter.. but.. I'll let you be the judge of that! So, without further ado, I present you Chapter 3! (P.S. Please review after reading! Happy Halloween!)_

* * *

_Chapter 3 - Unplanned Reunion _

She didn't need an answer to know that it was Chaos. After separating from her old group, she never thought she would see their faces, or in this case, hear their voices again. However, it seemed that only Chaos was there. It didn't brighten Fate's day the slightest. She kept her guard, her ears high to detect any movement around her and her eyes wide open in case he popped up in the room, being the tricky and problematic cat that he was.

She then noticed a large drinking goblet that was left behind on the table. It was golden and bright from the sun's reflection. Slowly moving in, she could see a clear reflection of her face in the cup. Fate did not know why her mirror image caught her attention, nonetheless she continued to concentrate on it.

Suddenly, the image of her face blurred and swerved in a wave-like motion. Fate bent her head closer to the goblet, wondering what was happening. And then, in place of hers, she saw his face.. the face she hadn't seen in over five centuries..

His grin startled her, causing her to lose balance and fall on her back, with both of her front paws flung on one side. She didn't have time to get up as his full form appeared as if it were created from the reflection on the goblet. There he was, floating in the air in front of her. Fate got up on four legs without taking her eyes off Chaos.

_Why is he here? Why now, after so long? What is his purpose? _The questions flowed through her mind, although her voice could not pick which one to ask. She did not want to speak to him after what happened. How dare he.. after what he did.. how dare he decide to show himself. She could feel her breaths shortening as the seconds of silence went by. There was no way her mind could endure the painful nostalgia streaming through her. All the while, he kept his grin on her.

"So, how have the centuries served you, Fate? Still being the usual loud mouth?" Chaos said, floating on his back with his arms crossed, looking calm and comfortable. Fate wanted to gasp, but ended up letting out a small, awkward cough. She wondered for a moment whether it was normal for him to sound so casual, even after everything.

"None of your business," she said bluntly with her eyes narrowing and her body crouching down as if ready to attack him. She decided not to do such a forceful action, but her anger continued to grow.

"Hmm, I guess not then," Chaos continued, slightly lowering his eyes, giving Fate what looked like a pitiful look with a touch of boredom. He then looked at the nails on his right paw, as if his appearance was nothing out of the ordinary. "Pity though, you were quite the comical one in the group. I can hardly get a laugh out of Mirage these days.."

"M... Mirage?" Fate muttered. She hadn't heard that name in so long. The image of the cat woman slowly formed in her head. The long dark hair... her sharp eyes... the memories were returning. Another wave of nostalgia crashed through her at once, throwing her off a bit, but she was now ready to address Chaos.

"What the heck are you doing here, Chaos? You come in here as if you _know_ the place, and talk to me as if we've seen each other only a while ago! Do you not remember what you did to me the last time we met?" A sharp pain hit Fate's throat, forcing her to stop speaking in her loud tone.

"Oh come now, you speak as if you know the world better than I do, which is sure absurdity," the cat spoke, his four paws softly landing on the floor. He walked around in no particular pattern with his eyes closed. "I've been in Agrabah before, most likely at a time when you weren't. It was a shame, really, that you weren't there at that time. It would've made things much more interesting.."

His image faded, which challenged Fate's awareness. She straightened her arms and legs from their crouched position. In a fraction of a second, he popped up behind her and continued talking. "But I'm still quite surprised," at this point, Fate released a loud gasp as she turned around to see Chaos, "that you've been able to take such good care of yourself."

Her tongue was twisted inside her mouth and Fate couldn't think of how else to say her words. Her entire past was lying right in front of her, but she never had any intention of looking back on it. "I.. still don't.. understand," her voice flowed with a few slight cracks of uncertainty. Despite the constant gap in her life since leaving them, she did not want to think of her old home.

"Typical.. just typical," Chaos said, flying upside-down over her head and back to the ground in front of her. He let out a piteous sigh as his paws touched the ground once more. "Fate, no one in the entire universe knows you better than I do, and I'm pretty sure I can go as far as including yourself in the group also. It seems like yesterday, really, when you left the place you used to call 'home'-"

"Don't talk as if I chose to!" The words rushed out of Fate's mouth, and her mind was clear once more. Memory after memory was rushing into her head, but neatly enough to keep her on track. "I might've still been there if you and Mirage hadn't-"

"Do _not_ interrupt me, Fate," the blue cat said with a straight face and one eyebrow up as if expecting no less from her. She was disgusted at what he said, but there was little she could do. She knew Chaos all too well to pick a fight with him, but what really kept her back was where they were.. in the Palace. Keeping her composure, she waited for him to speak again, her eyes slowly narrowing at the cat she had long despised.

"I'm intrigued that you decided to watch over Aladdin and his company out of millions of people on this planet," Chaos continued. "To tell you the truth, I was slightly concerned on how you would survive alone." He turned his head towards the side and looked at the balcony of the Palace with the usual grin on his face. "Then, when I saw little miracles happening over parts of the world, I knew you were very much alive." At this point, the cat closed his eyes, turned his head back, and casually walked around Fate. She stayed completely still, not turning her head to watch him or even make the slightest form of eye contact.

_Concerned? For me? That liar.. after what he did, he would never think twice about me.._ Fate said in her mind.

"I actually considered sending a babysitter, you know? You weren't the one to do many things yourself. I remember the times when you always looked to me for questions. Do you remember? Hmm.. it seems very clear to me. I wonder how you were able to develop such responsibility for yourself. On your own? Heh. I certainly won't believe that. Go on.. say what you want to say.. I won't interrupt.."

He stopped and stood right behind her, and Fate didn't need to look around to see that; she could sense it. Fate did not rotate, or even make the slightest movement. She kept her eyes forward, staring at the balcony.. the sun high above Agrabah now.

"I don't think I want to have a deep conversation about this, especially after all the pain I went through. The best thing you could is just.. to leave, okay?" For a reason unknown to her, Fate found it emotionally difficult to say the last few words. Right when she ended her sentence, she decided to turn her head around and meet with Chaos, so she could be more direct. What made her flinch was his face was now right in front of hers, their noses almost touching.

"That's it! I knew you would unintentionally give me a hint. You were certainly never good at keeping secrets," he said, backing up and letting our a short laugh. Fate stared at him in puzzlement, looking over what she said and wondering what he caught from it. Not being able to find an answer, she began to get irritated.

"If there was one thing that you feared, it was pain. Emotional pain, physical pain.. when you were near it, all you wanted to do was escape. So this is what's been keeping you alive.. running away from the pain. This is _really_ interesting."

"Will you quit acting like that... _please?_" Fate said, forcing the last word out late and quietly. She hated it when he acted like that.. acting like he could do whatever he wanted.. well, technically he could. That's why she would get annoyed by him so easily. "I don't want to talk more about myself. Just.. tell me why you're here."

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to be blunt," he said, keeping his chin high and eyes closed. The next time he opened them, it was straight into hers, with a sharp spark of yellow shooting from his glare. "I'm here to tell you to leave Agrabah forever."

"W-what?? Leave Agrabah?" Fate yelled, the tone of her voice rising again. She could feel the pain in her throat returning, but she ignored it. "That's insane! I've been on my own for hundreds of years.. and I've finally found a place I can call home again.. and now you're telling me to leave?? Agrabah isn't yours, Chaos!"

"Hehe, _everything_ is mine, of course," Chaos chuckled with no raise in his voice. "You're just too young to understand how this world works, despite your own powers."

"_Too young_?" Fate continued to yell in blind rage. She stood in one spot though, knowing never to take that dangerous step forward. "I'm only 975 years younger than you! Don't treat me like a child!"

"Wasn't that how you always wanted to be treated, hmm? I clearly remember your juvenile attitude back at the realm. Playing games, telling jokes.. I never thought you would act like this. But.. I suppose I have some learning to do as well.." While saying this, he took his eyes off of Fate and looked again at the distant balcony. He continued talking, "Nonetheless, you know what I can do when someone gives me a reason to be angry. Aladdin and his companions are not here to relieve you from this decision. So, what's it going to be?" Without turning his head, he shifted his eyes to look at Fate.

She paused for a moment, wondering why on Earth he wanted her gone. Was he jealous of her happiness? Most likely not, but there was no way she would mention it if by any chance he was. If there was one thing that she learned when landing on earth, it was finding her inner strengths, which she never knew she had until she was alone. And now, she has found a great deal within. She had found out that it was alright to have no friends. It was her destiny after all. It was just something she had to understand on her own. And, although she was fine with it both ways, she had made her decision; she wanted to stay with them.

Fate did not want to leave without reason. In fact, even with one, she was not willing to forget Agrabah and the people living here. It was a risk.. a tremendous risk.. but she summoned all the strength within herself, drew it up to her mouth, and spoke..

"I'm not leaving," she said, without flaws or interruptions in the throat. She surprised herself after exhaling that last word. Never had she stood up to Chaos.. she always assumed that doing so would result in entrapment in his negative side. Now, all she could do was wait.

There was a long wave of silence. At this time, Chaos slowly turned his whole head and did nothing but stare at her.. with no grin on his face, or for that matter, any hint of expression. Fate did her best to control her own breathing, but the tension in the atmosphere was beginning to grow with every second of stillness passing by.

Finally, the pause was broken by what Fate thought would be an outburst was instead a long sigh coming from Chaos' mouth, ending with his eyes closed and his head drooping down as if disappointed by her response. "Well, this is worse than I thought," he then spoke while shaking his head. "I didn't want to do this.. really, I didn't.."

_Run, Fate... run... don't think, just run..._ a voice ran quickly through her mind. Without thinking even once, she obeyed it. It took a second to get her arms and legs out of their stunned state, but she managed to jump out of it and run as rapidly as she could. She couldn't escape through the balcony, so her only chance was to go through the large door out of the main room. She hurried on, almost tripping on her own paws, but not daring to look back.

_To take such a risk in my presence.. she must have really pushed me and Mirage out of her mind.. _Chaos thought to himself as he watched Fate frantically escape the room. He did not bother to chase her so hastily because there was nowhere she could hide from him.

"Hehe, I lied. I _do_ want to," he said, grinning once more and disappearing from the scene.

* * *

"You take the back, Genie! The rest of us will make a distraction up front!" Aladdin yelled over the loud clashes coming from the rampaging grasshopper with an afro. He took a quick moment to stare at the abnormality of the creature.

_It couldn't have gone here on its own.. someone must have sent it to Agrabah.._ he thought as Genie whisked to the other side.

"So, the grasshopper's got Disco fever, eh?" Genie shouted as he grew into the same size as the bug. In a flash, he was wearing baggy purple pants, an illuminated silver shirt and a dark blue afro over his head that was about the same size as the grasshopper's. A disco ball floated in the air above them.

The group looked at the changed scenery. Iago hit his wing over his head, Abu was laughing his head off, and Aladdin and Jasmine just looked at each other. "Well," Jasmine began, "maybe Genie can handle this on his own."

"Do the hustle!" Genie shouted, displaying some flamboyant moves on the 'dance floor'. The grasshopper stared at him for a moment, but went on smashing buildings and damaging the roads. "Oh, you see? You're doing it all wrong! How are we supposed to win the best couple dance with those moves? Here, I'll show you!" Genie grabbed one of the bug's lengthy arms and pulled it towards him. In one move, he bumped the bug with his hip, causing him to lose balance. Once he regained his composure, it was already too late as Genie grabbed both of its arms. "This is what I like to call the _Genie Bash-a-rama Move_!" In an instant, he flung the insect up in the air and slammed him hard onto the ground. Still holding its arms, he flung him into the air again and bashed him to the ground on the other side of him. He went on doing this in a rapid rhythm, which from a distance looked quite hilarious.

"Genie! Be careful!" Aladdin warned him as the ground was beginning to crack.

"Ohoho, right. Woopsies. I guess I got carried away," Genie apologized. He grabbed the entire body of the disco grasshopper over his head. "Sorry, buddy. I think we should find new partners," and with that, he tossed him over a hundred feet into the air and out of sight.

As Genie went back to his normal size and appearance, he fixed up anything that was damaged during the fight. The group met at ground level.

"Well, that was just.. _odd_.." Iago said, almost not being able to find the right word to describe the 'battle'. While Jasmine went to comfort and reassure the frightened civilians, Aladdin continued to ponder.

"I don't think that bug came on its own free will.. someone must've sent it," he said, looking out towards the desert. It was completely empty, with no further suspicion that something else might appear. "Any ideas?"

"Hmm.. Mozenrath?" Genie suggested.

"Nah, that's not his style at all."

"..Mechanicles?"

"Hmm.. close, but the afro throws it off."

"Abis Mal?"

Both Aladdin and Genie paused and thought hard for a moment, and then looked at each other. "Nooo way!" they said simultaneously with a smile.

"Then who could it be?" Jasmine said, returning to the group. "There are hundreds of enemies who could've sent this creature.."

"Well, let's see what we know so far," Aladdin responded, looking over the clues. "We've got a grasshopper.. as big as the palace.. with an afro on his head."

"The person who sent this must be twisted in the head," Iago quickly remarked while twirling one feather next to his right temple, mimicking a crazy-like gesture.

"Do we know anyone who has a knack for things way out of the ordinary?" Genie asked.

A long pause came as the group looked at each other, almost reading their thoughts. The answer simultaneously hit everyone in the head.

"Chaos!"

* * *

Fate was already out of breath, but that did not stop her paws from racing on the hard floor of the Palace. She went through door after door of rooms and hallways until she ultimately could not run anymore. She slowed down into a large, empty hall. Sitting down, she tried her best to control her breathing so she could hear anything that may enter the passageway.

Then, her mind started to play tricks on her.. deceiving her to believe in one thing only. _Maybe he gave up and left.. maybe he'll never come back again and I can continue to live with Aladdin and the others.._ It was far from possible, she _knew_ it, but that voice wouldn't leave her.

"Is that as far as you can go?" A louder voice echoed through the room, undoubtedly Chaos'. She looked around, but realized he would most likely be invisible. With the little energy she regained from the pause, she continued to run through the hallway.

"I don't think so.." Chaos said again.

The floor began to rumble under Fate's feet, causing her to stop running. Then, several cracks were taking place around her. She tried to get out of the way, but she was surrounded. Suddenly, large strings of metal shot out of the cracks and met together in the air, a feet or two above Fate's head. Before she knew it, she was trapped inside a metallic cage with nowhere to squeeze through. Despite her position, she kept her head up, not prepared to give up just yet.

"Okay, you caught me. You can come out now," Fate shouted. He formed behind her, with all four paws on the ground. He had his back straight and chin up, as if he was a high lord. Fate, as hard as it was for her, had no choice but to accept that he was.

"You knew I was going to catch you, so why did you run?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She turned around, but stayed at the far end of the cage away from him.

"I will never just lose to you," she began. "If Aladdin and the others were able to defeat you, then I-"

"Aladdin _never_ defeated me.. I don't know where you got that idea," Chaos simply said, but Fate could tell he was biting away his anger. Was she really going to take another risk at it?

"Besides," he continued, now pacing around the cage as if observing an animal in a pet store, "I don't think you should be one to talk about defeats. Maybe you still remember how you got that scar on your collar?"

Fate could feel something hard inside her throat. She tried to swallow it, but it was painful to do so. The last thing she wanted to be reminded of from her memories was what happened that day..

"It was too easy to do that to you. Maybe you should be careful when you're walking on the road.. you could trip and get another one.."

That was all too much for Fate to bear. She ran to the front of the wired cage and let her head hit the bars as she bared her teeth at Chaos. The blue cat did not flinch. "How dare you treat it like it's nothing! This scratch changed **everything** in my life! It changed the way I felt about my old home.. about Mirage.. and _especially_ about you! You disgust me.."

Did something make her stop speaking at that moment? It wasn't herself, that was for sure. She could have gone on much longer, but something else made her halt where she was.

Chaos, without showing any expression, brought up his left paw, and began squeezing it into a fist. The cage then began to shrink.. smaller and smaller until the bars above Fate touched her head.

"This isn't the worst I could do. Do you know how easily I can destroy Agrabah as well? Of course, that would make the world a bit more boring, but I can easily do it if you refuse to leave.. you know I can," he said as the metal began pushing Fate's body down. She crouched as far down as she could, but the bars continued to shrink. There was nothing she could do.

"S-stop, Chaos!" she yelled frantically. There was nothing she could do..

To Fate's surprise, he stopped. At this point, she could not move. She couldn't even lift her head to see Chaos. All she could to was listen.

"Why should I stop?" he asked.

"B-because.. there's nothing I can do.."

An uncomfortable pause came, and then the bars slowly returned to the ground. The cracks reassembled themselves and the floor returned to normal. Cautiously, Fate stood up, but kept her head to the ground.

"Well, finally, that's settled. I seriously thought you had changed," Chaos said, putting his paw back down.

How she wish she could change. In fact, that is what she thought had happened during all those lonely nights. She would change to become a stronger individual. And then, one day, she would be able to face them without fear. But, she really hadn't changed; she was still the same person she was when she landed on Earth. Fate did her best to fight away the tears as Chaos continued to eye her.

"So, it's settled then. You'll be leaving.. let's say.. tonight?" Chaos said casually, licking his paw. There was so many things Fate wanted to do to him at that moment... so many things...

She did not want to say it, but what good would it be to fight back once more? It would be a continuous loop.. and then.. there was Aladdin and his friends. They would eventually come back, and the last thing she wanted was for them to see Chaos and have another problem. _Just say it, Fate... weren't you used to being lonely by now?_

"Alright, Chaos. I'll leave Agrabah.. t-tonight. But, you have to swear.. to leave Agrabah alone once I leave. You understand?" she struggled to say, bringing up her emotionless face and giving the blue cat a forced poisonous glare.

Chaos smiled. Before Fate could even try to release any rage, he had begun to disappear. His grin was the last thing she saw before he completely vanished.

_I can't believe this.._ Fate thought to herself as she finally let the tears roll down her cheeks. She never thought she would feel so worthless again, but her past would always be there to haunt her. No matter what she could say or do, in the end, nothing could change her destiny. Chaos and Mirage were a constant reminder of that.

"Fate?" a call came from the opening of the hallway. The purple cat turned around to see Aladdin and his friends standing there. Her eyes widened as she looked at them. One last tear fell to the ground.

"Is something wrong, Fate?" Jasmine asked, moving towards her. Fate still did not speak. _They have no idea what happened just now.._ she said to herself, and there was no way she could tell them. Chaos was still around, she knew that very well. If she told, he would, without effort, destroy Agrabah.

"N-nothing's wrong.. I just.. poked myself in the eye when I was licking my paw," she lied. It was so hard to lie to them.. it was even difficult when she lied to Aladdin about how she got the scar on her neck collar. Jasmine crouched down to her and began scratching her ear. Fate couldn't help but purr and smile while she did so.

"Fate, we need to ask to something," Aladdin said without another minute to lose. "That strange grasshopper we fought outside.. we've got this suspicion that it might've been sent by Chaos.."

Fate inhaled deeply and quickly, which was heard by everyone. Trying to regain normality, she exhaled as calmly as she could and looked at Aladdin as he continued to speak.

"You know him better than any of us, so we'd like your opinion. Do you think it was sent by him?" Aladdin stopped and watched Fate closely. He could not help but wonder if something was wrong with her. Her cheeks were rosy, as if she was crying excessively.

Fate sniffed once to get the emotion of sadness out of her way, and spoke with a normal tone, "No, I'm very sure it was not him. Chaos may be the master of the unpredictable and unusual, but sending monsters is not his style, no matter how out of the ordinary it is. It was not sent by him; I'm certain." As the lies continued to pile up, her heart became extremely heavy.

Aladdin could not understand Fate's sudden tone. His suspicion rose, but he decided not to switch the topic. "Well.. alright.. thanks for your help anyway." He turned to Genie and shrugged. If it really was not Chaos, then Aladdin had no other ideas.

"Well, whoever it was, we can discuss it over a late lunch," Jasmine concluded, standing up. Fate watched as she got up, wondering why they did not ask any other questions. She did her best to hide the pain inside herself, at least until they left the room.

"Sounds good, I'm starving," Iago said. Abu shattered away, agreeing with him. The group began to walk out of the hall.

Fate watched as the group slowly walked away. This was how it was going to be. Well, except she would be the one turning her back on them. And there would be no turning back. Tonight, she had to leave, and she could not give any hints about it.

"Fate? Are you coming?" Aladdin asked, stopping in his tracks and turning around to meet his eyes with hers. She took her time to answer the question as she stared back at him. She truly did not want to leave them. There had to be another way..

"Yes, I'll be there in one minute. Please, go on without me.." she finally said. Aladdin turned back and followed the rest out of the hall. When the area was empty except for her, Fate fell to the ground, feeling lost and defeated.

She laid on her side, wondering where she got the strength to act so casual around the others, because, truly, she was ready to break down. Her eyes were slightly opened as she focused on one side of the wall in the passageway. She felt very tired, and did not want to get up for a long time. In fact, she wished she could just lye there forever without anyone questioning her being there. All of it was a complete waste. Perhaps.. it would have been better if she never came to Agrabah at all. The town would be a lot safer, away from Chaos' claws, and Aladdin would not have to worry about destiny.

"Why can't I run away from this pain?" she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and let her mind go blank.


End file.
